Shrimp scampi is one of my favorite ways to prepare and enjoy shrimp, so naturally I wanted to make some to celebrate National Shrimp Scampi Day, which is April 29. This is so easy to make and even better to eat! And I lucked out – Fresh Market had peeled and deveined shrimp on sale, which eliminated some of the prep work. We like a lot of garlic in our shrimp scampi, but feel free to use just a couple of cloves if you’re not into scaring off vampires.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (I usually double this, at the very least)
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup good white wine
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ½ large lemon, juiced
• Pasta or rice (optional)

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a minute or two, making sure not to overcook it.

Stir in the shrimp and sauté for a couple of minutes, just until they turn pink. Remove the shrimp from the pan.

Melt the butter in the skillet. Stir in the wine, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium; simmer for a couple of minutes.

Return shrimp to the pan and heat for a minute or two. Add the fresh parsley and lemon juice and toss well to coat.

I like to serve this over angel hair pasta. Add crusty bread to sop up any of the garlic/butter wine sauce and a tossed salad for a wonderful dinner. Oh, and a glass of white wine goes great with this as well!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!